The holidays are upon us and, as always, it has taken me by surprise. Christmas and New Year’s falls on the same date every year and every year I can’t believe that it is already Christmas and New Year’s. Tis the season to be jolly, so long as you get all of your holiday shopping done, can handle seeing your family for extended periods of time, and, for most private practice attorneys, make sure that you have met your billable hour requirement for the year. For any attorney that lives and dies by the billable hour, any holiday (or vacation or sick leave or time off) is not really a break, but merely a form of procrastination from work.

So how does a young lawyer enjoy any time away without the worry that a caseload is spiraling out of control in his/her absence? I believe that a little planning will go a long way.

As the holidays approach (or any time I anticipate taking a leave of absence for any reason), I act like Santa and make a list. My list, however, is not one of naughty and nice children, but of my existing cases and upcoming deadlines.

This list is then broken down even further, into things that need to be completed before I leave, things that may happen when I am gone, and things that can wait until I return. If you are lucky enough to work in a firm with other associates, make sure that there is someone there to field calls on your behalf when you are away.

And when you are away, stay away. Enjoy life. Relax. Because when you get back, there will be a mound of work to deal with and your stress levels will return to their elevated levels. This may sound simple, but with blackberrys, remote login, and cellular phones, it is not. Everyone needs to get away and recharge their batteries. It’s possible, but it takes a little planning.

Happy Holidays! Hopefully you are not in the office when you are reading this blog entry.

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